Lake Cathie
Surf spot · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 233kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 248kJ
- Wind
- S 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 276kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 419, poor
- Thu 513, too small
- Fri 620, poor
- Sat 739, poor
- Sun 820, poor
- Mon 931, poor
- Tue 1052, fair
- Wed 1169, good
- Thu 1223, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jun3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, poor | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 233kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, poor | 4 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 248kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 276kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 69, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 181kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 23°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:06 +0.3 mLow 09:36 −0.4 mHigh 16:07 +0.7 mLow 22:53 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:10 +0.4 mLow 10:53 −0.4 mHigh 17:12 +0.6 mLow 23:44 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:04 +0.5 mLow 12:01 −0.5 mHigh 18:10 +0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Apr–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Lake Cathie on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Lake Cathie
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More surf near here
5 places
- Lighthouse Beach 2.6 km away
- Bartletts Beach 3.8 km away
- Rainbow Beach, Bonny Hills 4.4 km away
- North Haven 10.2 km away
- Lewis' or South Beach 10.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lake Cathie
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (114°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (294°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 112). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Lake Cathie, 0.1 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 mountain bike area.
Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,750–US$3,360 each
about US$1,750–US$3,360 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$906–US$1,890 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$141–US$235 |
| Total | about US$1,750–US$3,360 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
1 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Lake Cathie its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bonny Hills on Booking.com
8 min by car · 12 places to stay
- Beds in North Haven on Booking.com
16 min by car · 20 places to stay
About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 35m
About 30h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PQQ, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → PQQ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.